The River
by O'MiaLove
Summary: You’re place is right here with me and our family. Please don’t go. Don’t leave us. We need you, Peyt. I need you and most importantly our daughter she needs you." Takes place right after 6.23.


**A/N: I'm not a doctor so my medical knowledge is not 100% true. Why I chose this song. It just kind of fit them. Here's the summary of the song: Premature pregnancy, marriage and a weepy harmonica crush the dreams of a young couple.**

Lucas sat on the hard hospital chair waiting for any kind of news. Nurses walked past him as if he was invisible, but that didn't stop the helpless newlywed from repeatedly asking if she was okay; if his wife was okay.

His family sat there next to him trying to give moral support, but he didn't want to hear from them. The only person he wanted to hear from was the doctor in the white coat that had left with his true love down the hospital hall hours ago. And yet there hadn't been any news.

"This isn't suppose to happen. Today was supposed to be a start to her happily ever after." Lucas heard Brooke say, but didn't bother to look away from the swinging hospital doors where Peyton Scott had been wheeled into. "Just this afternoon she was happy in her white wedding dress and she…" Brooke wasn't able to complete her sentence as she choked on her sobs.

Lucas couldn't recall much from earlier that day, he didn't remember a white wedding dress all he could remembered was a dress stained with deep red that could only be brought on by an unimaginable amount of blood; any psychiatrist would probably say it was from shock. God, he tried to remember, but the image of her lying on what use to be white colored rose pedals kept flashing into his head. How ironic was it that he was meant to be her savior and yet it was his fault she was in this hospital in the first place.

_Don't think like that. This is not your fault. _He could hear her faint voice scold him for even letting that thought come into his head.

"Mr. Scott?"

A middle-aged doctor wearing blue scrubs asked walking through those very same doors where Lucas had said a quick 'goodbye' and 'see you soon' to his wife.

"I'm Lucas Scott. Peyton's husband." He managed to say in one breath. "How is she? Please tell me she's going to pull through."

"They're still working on her." He didn't like the way those words came out of the doctors mouth.

"Is she going to be okay?" Lucas asked for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"In my professional opinion it's too soon to tell. Mrs. Scott lost a lot of blood because of the hemorrhaging, but we were able to replace most of it with the donated blood from a Ms. Davis. Which is a very good sign, but we won't know more until she's out of surgery."

"How's the baby?" Haley asked when it looked like nobody else would. Lucas focused on Peyton, Brooke hadn't stopped crying for her friend who was more of a sister, and Nathan too shocked to believe that Peyton Sawyer now Scott, the strongest person he's ever known that overcame so much had almost lost her life.

"The delivery went better than we all expected. Even though it was a four week premature delivery the baby is striving and one hundred percent healthy" The resident replied smiling. Doctors were always glad to give good news even when there were bad things lurking around. "She's got a great set of lungs on her. Came out hollering like there was no tomorrow."

"It's a girl?"

Lucas asked. They hadn't known the gender of their unborn child; Peyton preferring to be surprised when the day actually came. And he had to hope that she would get her surprise once she woke up.

"Congratulations." The doctor smiled. "Would you like to see your new daughter?"

"No." He had pondered the question for a moment, but he just couldn't look at her yet. Not until everything was okay. He knew he could never loath his child, but he just felt ashamed because of the procedure that he had asked Peyton to have when they first found out about her high risk pregnancy. He thought it was okay to ask her to have it done because he didn't know the fetus that was a potential health problem, but know five months later he had a daughter that might have never been if Peyton had agreed and he hated himself more than anything. "I have to be here when Peyton come out."

"Can I see her?" Brooke had asked whipping away at her red puffed eyes.

"I'm sorry, it's family only."

What was that suppose to mean? If anything Brooke was more a family to her than her actual bloodline. She's known Peyton since kindergarten, they had every Christmas and thanksgiving together, spent most of their summers together, she was there when Peyton had her first crush, when Anna had died, when Larry left on his first drudging trip after the burial, and Peyton had asked her to be the godmother to her first child the day she told her. If that isn't a family then Brooke didn't know what was.

"It's okay. She's Peyton's sister."

Lucas told the resident as he rubbed the back of his neck. Nodding the doctor led Brooke towards the maternity ward where the newest addition to the Scott family had been placed.

"Lucas." Haley gently placed the palm of her hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Maybe you should go, too. Me and Nathan can wait here for Peyton and once she's finally out I'll have Nathan run as fast as he can to go get you. I promise."

"Yeah, Luke, go see your daughter. Peyton would have wanted you too."

"Will you stop talking about her in the past tense? She's still alive, Nate." He didn't know where the sudden aggravation came from while he shouted. "She's still alive." he had said defeated.

"Lucas-"Haley murmured not wanting anymore attention from the stares that the nurses and patients were giving them. "I'm sure it's not how Nathan meant it."

"I know." He sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just that I was meant to be there by her side and Peyton should have been awake to witness our daughter being born. We were supposed to be together to welcome her into this world." He felt his eyes prick and his vision became blurry. "Peyton shouldn't be coming out of surgery, I shouldn't be waiting out here in this hallway, and our baby shouldn't be anywhere but with both Peyton and I."

"Mr. Scott?" Lucas turned to where his name was being called and noticed the same physician that had taken Peyton away standing right in front of him. "Peyton's surgery went fine. We were able to remove the placenta without doing any damage to her uterus, but the next 24 hours are very crucial."

"Can I see her?"

"Certainly."

Moments later Lucas found himself standing at the edge of her bed before taking a seat on the chair next to her. Wrapping both his palms around her right hand he couldn't stop his emotions as they took over; tears cascading down his face not bothering to wipe them away as he kissed her knuckles while murmuring an 'I love you'.

"I can't do this without you." He whispered. "You promised you'd be there, Peyt. You promised."

He felt his head began to ache unsure of how he was going to do this without her.

"You're place is right here with me and our family. Please don't go. Don't leave us. We need you, Peyt. I need you and most importantly our daughter she needs you."

He had hoped for any sort of movement that would tell him she heard him, but nothing came.

"We still have ninety-nine more babies to make in the backseat of the Comet." He had tried to smile of the memory they had made underneath the stars but all he could muster was a weak attempt at a lopsided smile before his eyes turned serious. "I'm holding you to that promise, so please just wake up."

Still nothing just the beeping of the monitors that regulated her heart. He had looked up towards the rooms ceiling with nowhere else to turn he began to pray.

"I don't ask for much and I know I don't deserve her because of all the wrong that I've done, but please hear me out. This isn't for me, I'm not going to beg you to keep her here for me I'm going to plead and beg you to keep her here for our little girl. Don't let her experience a life without a mother's love. She doesn't need to know what heartache is before she's even a day old. If you just keep Peyton alive I swear that I will keep this family devoted to you. Just please do it for the little innocent life that you helped keep alive. Our faith in you will never falter just please."

It had been hours since he had asked for leniency from the man above and yet he felt that none had been give. He left her side for a brief second to update his family on Peyton's status surprised to see that Brooke had yet to return from the hospital's nursery, but glad that someone was with his daughter.

"So still no sign of her waking up?" It was more of a statement than a question that came from Nathan's lips. "Haley's been in the chapel all day. She won't go elsewhere until she knows Peyton's awake."

"Lucas." The raspy voice came out horsed and uncertain at the same time as Brooke came down the hallway to both interrupt and meet both brothers; the tears brimming her eyes. "They just placed Baby Girl Scott in Peyton's room. She looks so much like Peyton did in her baby pictures. She has this head full of blonde hair that slightly curls at the ends, she has your nose, Peyton's lips, and of course it's too early to tell but I think she'll have the most mesmerizing bluest eyes anyone's ever seen."

Not stopping the smile that became something that's been unseen since they've walked into Tree Hill Memorial Lucas could picture what the little life that he and Peyton created must look like.

"But." Brooke didn't hesitate.

And no one likes that pesky word.

"But?" Lucas replied

"Luke, she knows something's wrong. She hasn't stopped crying since she was delivered and the doctors are getting worried. They had hoped that by placing her in Peyton's room that it would soothe her, but it hasn't"

"Brooke, babies cry." Nathan added.

"No, you don't understand. When I was taking care of Angie she had an incident where she wouldn't stop crying. Her face turned bright red and I knew that she had forgotten to breathe."

"Brooke-"

"No, Lucas, don't Brooke me. She's your daughter and other than Peyton who is currently unavailable she knows your voice more than any of ours. Just go into the room hold her and talk to her. Don't let all of this be in vain."

He hadn't noticed it before, but as he gazed towards the room he hadn't left since now he heard the sounds of a newborn baby's cry; his feet leading him fast and faster down the hall until he was in the room. He stood frozen for a second looking at the clear cart that was a makeshift basinet that the hospital had supplied for the entire maternity ward. He didn't know what to do, but as the sounds of the incisive wailing continued it broke through his daze and Lucas rushed towards the small baby that was his daughter and swiftly but carefully brought her into his arms.

"Sh. Daddy's here." He whispered as he took a seat next to Peyton's bed. The infants crying didn't cease to stop instead it calmed and turned into soft whimpers. "Daddy's finally here."

He watched as his baby tried to sneak her hands free from the snug hospital blanket the baby cap almost falling off and revealing the ringlets that Brooke had mentioned earlier.

"She's beautiful, Luke." Haley spoke when she had finally emerged from the small chapel.

"She is." He agreed as the baby's whimpers continued. "Hales, can you get my phone from the diaper bag that Brooke brought over. I have an idea."

She was the first person he had called when he was finally able to talk. He had given her specific instructions, telling her about the hidden key underneath the porch light, the diaper bag in the nursery, and his forgotten phone that was left on the kitchen table, and the most important thing was that she could not worry about the puddle of blood in the hallway that dripped into the bedroom because that would waste time that they couldn't afford to pass by.

Haley did as she was told and brought out the black device while she made her way to stand next to Lucas. She turned it on for him and smiled when the wall paper on his phone came up; a picture of Peyton smiling holding a picture of a sonogram of their last visit when the doctor had told them that everything was going perfectly.

"Go into my videos and click the last one."

When he heard her voice he knew Haley had chosen the right video.

"_So how's it like being married, Mr. Scott? Everything you've ever dreamed it would be" Peyton asked_

Lucas hadn't taken his eyes off of the small bundle in his arms watching as the baby finally quieted, her breathing becoming steady as she listened closely to the sound that she knew is her mother's voice.

"We made that video on our way to the reception. It was just the two of us in the limo."

Haley listened to Lucas closely, but she didn't let her gaze trail away from the small screen that had shown her friend smiling happily.

"_So how's it like being married, Mr. Scott? Is it everything you've ever dreamed it would be?"_

_Peyton sat next to him haven taken out his cell phone from the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket._

"_I do believe it's better than my dreams. Mrs. Peyton Scott"_

"_I love hearing that." Peyton purred into his ear causing him to throw his head back against the head rest._

"_I love saying it." He met her eyes that gleamed with happiness. He's told her before and its always been true. Happy does look very good on her. "Mrs. Scott."_

_He brought his head down and grazed his lips upon hers in a simple yet sweet kiss that would soon turn into something that would make their first kiss of husband and wife jealous. She pulled away needing to catch her breath his eyes filled with adoration. _

"_This is my dream; you, me, and our baby." Peyton smiled. "Our baby's going to be great."_

"_And it's all because this baby is going to have a great mother."_

"_And a great father. You hear that baby you have a lot to live up to. But if you don't you'll be loved more than anything."_

Haley had left leaving Lucas to bond with his daughter as Peyton lay on the bed still not showing any signs of waking up.

Every time their daughter, that still had yet to be named, began to cry Lucas would reply that video and every single time it had soothed the small girl back into a peaceful slumber as she looked around the room as if she was trying to find someone she couldn't see. Taking in the small hint Lucas placed his daughter to lie next to Peyton the baby cooing as she reached to latch her small fist around one of her father's finger as he began to tell her the story that would be said to her every night from here on out; the story of a love that conquered all.

"…And they lived-"

"Happily ever after."

He looked up and realized that his prayers had been answered as he noticed those emerald eyes that he fell in love with staring back at him.

"Peyton. Oh, thank God."

Reaching up she softly caresses his jaw line and he's never felt something so good that suddenly lifted the world off of his shoulders

"I always keep my promises, Luke." Feeling the fidgeting on her arm she looked down tears springing to her eyes because she honestly didn't think that she would get to experience this wonderful moment. "Is this?"

"Yes, Peyton." Lucas lifted the wide awake baby and placed her where she belonged all this time; in Peyton's arms. "This is our daughter."

"Hey baby girl." In return their baby began to coo her first smile as she looked up at her mother. Peyton laughed happily making eye contact with her husband, Lucas, while he wiped the stray tear that fell down her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "C'mere."

He leaned in more than happy when her lips met his and they were again able to express their love for one another

_-Fin-_

**A/N: So my crazy mind wouldn't let me do anything else until I got this done. I didn't name the baby cause at first everyone thought it was Anna and than I heard that they were going to name her Sawyer so I just left it blank. **

**I hope you enjoyed and of course Leyton + Baby would live happily ever after! How could they not?? Well what do you think? Push that fabulous button and make my day even better!!**

_**Name of title by song of Bruce Springsteen**_


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